


ten thousand to one

by spacegirlkj



Series: the space between us [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Astronaut AU, Death ment., Fluff, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, and painful stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:59:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8115541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacegirlkj/pseuds/spacegirlkj
Summary: space is cold, or so oikawa says, but earth is colder without the one you love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhhh have some angsty oihina astronaut stuff  
> also. this is for oihina monthly, prompts stargazing and reunion. enjoy~

_The other question I get most frequently is. When I was up there stranded by myself, did I think I was gonna die? Yes, absolutely. And that's one you need to know, going in, because it's gonna happen to you. This is space. It does not cooperate… but If you solve enough problems, you get to come home._

_-the martian_

* * *

_251 days since liftoff_

Hinata finds out at work.

Everyone has abandoned their seats, crowded around the posh tables in the corner of the café where the TV sits. Hinata is watching with eyes wide as saucers, listening for the distinct crackle of static that signals Oikawa will speak.

(They last spoke yesterday, but it wasn’t for long.)

Everyone is on the edge of their chairs, huddling around the television with expecting smiles and open eyes. The regulars have met Oikawa, and know enough to figure out that Hinata and him were close. Hinata smiles to himself, thinking of Oikawa, vibrating with joy as he approaches the red planet.

No one expects what happens next. The heavy static, crackling speakers, the way the scratchy voices on the comms grow more and more frightened. Announcers try to talk over, and Hinata frowns, taking a step closer than he already is to turn up the volume.

The screen cuts to black, the voices fade completely. Hinata freezes, clutching the remote in his hands.

The people around him mumble, but he doesn't listen.

_Possible pilot error-_

_Lost communications-_

_We aren’t sure-_

In a second, Hinata collapses. 

—

_1277 days until liftoff_

Oikawa comes by at the odd hours of the morning.

It's 3am on a Tuesday, and here he is, like clockwork. Always at the same table, laptop open, papers of complicated mathematics splayed out around him. Medium cappuccino, extra espresso, often gets two. Hinata cleans the counter a second time, and not so subtly tries to watch him work, the way he sticks out his tongue as he types, how his glasses slips halfway down his nose before he pushes them up. He's goes to take a swig of his drink, only for it to burn his tongue. Hinata giggles as the man puts it down and bites his tongue, face scrunched up. In an instant, his eyes flick up towards Hinata, zeroing in on him. Hinata stops his giggle, face flushing red as apologies slip out of his lips. 

"It's okay," the man says, leaning back into his chair, and casting Hinata a charming smile, gorgeous despite the bags under his eyes and ruffled hair. "But if you're going to laugh at my blunders, you should at least know my name first."

Hinata learns his name is Oikawa Tooru, and that he's in the astronaut program, ready to graduate into space anytime. Oikawa promises that he isn't always this much of a mess, and the notion makes Hinata laugh, because he knows, he's seen Oikawa when he's dressed to the nines in the mornings. 

They chat as Oikawa works, the conversation tumbling from music taste, an odd mix of the Wonder Girls and David Bowie, to the sunflowers that rest beside the counter. Hinata explains them, his sister's favourite flower. Oikawa is as frenzied as anyone with their head in the clouds, smile wide and hands extended as he speaks in wild gestures. Hinata is enchanted by the way he speaks, pulled forwards until he's ignoring the coffee bar completely, sat on the lip of the counter, watching Oikawa work. 

It becomes an odd kind of routine, abandoning work whenever Oikawa comes by. Hinata gets his number after that night, and Oikawa seems to be the type who is free at the oddest times. Hinata gets a text at five am, an ungodly hour for most people, of Oikawa, smiling, jogging wear sporting a small lanyard with the word NASA printed on it. Hinata sends a photo back, of him with a cupcake, before getting told off for texting at work.

Friendship blossoms in the same way sunflowers to, facing the sun. Hinata's smile is enough to make Oikawa melt, he notices, and the sight of a six foot man stumbling when he sees you smile makes Hinata flush brighter than he already was. 

—

_30 days until liftoff_

"Do you think you'll see aliens when you go to space?" Hinata asks out of no where. They're sitting in the hatch back of a truck Hinata borrowed from his mom, a bottle of fruit punch sitting between them. Oikawa doesn't drink on these kinds of days, but he never turns down the opportunity to watch the stars pass by with juice, as if they were children. 

Oikawa's eyes light up as if he is one, and he sits up in an instant, dragging Hinata with him. He's wild as he explains that there is life out there, listing off conspiracies like times tables. It's funny, and Hinata almost forgets that Oikawa works for a space agency. His eyes trace the cosmos, or the stars the speckle the sky. They had to drive an hour and a half to see them, city lights obscuring what view they would've had, but in the end, it's worth it to lie next to Oikawa and listen, listen to his voice, smooth and melodic, listen to the way the wind blows through them. 

There's a box in Oikawa’s coat pocket, he ignores it, he ignores it, he ignores it.

—

_A grievous miscalculation led to the crash of Mars Mission II, all remaining crew believed to be dead-_

—

_53 days since liftoff_

The reception is shitty in among the stars. Oikawa is a moment too late to respond, his voice cracking through the speakers. But still, he is floating, literally and figuratively. When Hinata smiles, albeit delayed, he can watch Oikawa's eyes melt through the camera, watch the way he drifts a little bit closer. Oikawa reaches forward to touch the camera, tracing his fingers around it as if it was Hinata's forehead. Hinata does the same, presses his palm to the screen and pretends that he can feel the heat radiating from Oikawa's hand. 

"See any aliens?" Hinata asks as Oikawa floats backwards. 

Oikawa pouts, looks side to side, before leaning forward so that his eyes are huge in the monitor. 

"Don't tell anyone, but I think I saw a wormhole."

—

_1198 days until liftoff_

One day, Oikawa shows up at midnight with three other people.

It’s a change that sparks a flicker on something akin to jealousy inside on Hinata as the four walk along the glass windows of café, laughing, heads thrown back and looks of glee painted across their faces. Oikawa freezes when he spots Hinata and waves, shooting him a star studded smile only to be slapped upside the head by one of his friends. The other two snicker, raising their brows and saying something, forcing Oikawa to blush as he stumbles through the café doors.

Before Hinata can say his regular greeting, Oikawa is dragged to the counter by his pink haired friend, his grin shit eating as he leans and hauls Oikawa forward.

“Are you Hinata? Because Oikawa _will. not. shut. up._ about you,” he says.

Hinata controls the internal screaming inside his chest as he nods, eyes flicking from Oikawa to his friends in fear he’d done something terribly wrong. Were astronauts not allowed to be up so late? Was friendship taboo? Was-

Oikawa pushes his friend away, rolling his eyes. “You’re only jealous, Makki.”

Makki raises a brow, but doesn't question beyond that as Hinata stares at the bunch in front of him. They all look a little worse for wear, eyes purple from lack of sleep, hair frizzed and misplaced. Hinata spots a NASA lanyard on the shorter’s neck, and their presence finally clicks.

“These assholes are my friends and fellow astronauts,” Oikawa says with a grin. “They were just _dying_ to meet you.”

“Shut up, Oikawa,” the shortest says. He sends Hinata an apologetic stare, before handing him a five dollar bill. “Iwaizumi, and just give me the strongest shit you have.”

Hinata chokes out a laugh while staring over at Oikawa, who tries to wrestle out of one of his friend’s grips. They introduce themselves, the three other top students, and Oikawa best friends. Hinata is intimidated at first; they’re all so tall, even the shortest towers above him. They’re nice, and it’s fun to watch Oikawa be flustered from teasing, and joining in feels as natural as it could.

No one minds that it’s nearing one am, just like no one minds that Oikawa’s eyes linger a moment too long to be accidental. And for a bunch of people who are training to visit other planets, Hinata has never felt less alien.

—

_883 days until liftoff_

Oikawa's apartment is organized chaos, piles of haphazardly stacked pages labeled with yellow and pink sticky notes. Some read _astro homework_ , other's _conspiracies_ or _to throw away_. Hinata maneuvers through the mess and collapses down onto Oikawa couch, kicking a textbook onto the ground. Oikawa quickly follows in suit, practically lying on Hinata and, frankly, crushing him. 

Hinata makes a strangled noise, squirming under his weight. Oikawa laughs, rolling off of him so that just his head lies in Hinata's lap. The position is unpractical: Oikawa's legs hang off the arm of the couch, and there's little space for him to put his arms. Hinata doesn't care, he tangles his fingers into Oikawa's hair, combing through the wavy locks absentmindedly. The two are good enough friends that the action is as simple as breathing, as easy as the sunrise. Oikawa hums, lowering his eyelids until they are half lidded. 

"I graduate tomorrow," he says, voice breathy, like he can't believe it. The statement seems so far away, as if it's a distant truth not yet tangible. He says it as if he's announcing his death date or the birth of his first born, something so precious and terrifying it sends shivers down his spine. 

Hinata chokes down the questions and fears bubbling at the back of his throat, the impending truth of having to be left behind becoming more and more apparent every day. 

Instead, he asks where Oikawa wants to go first, to the moon or to beyond, and Oikawa's face brightens past melancholy, eyes igniting with the kind of passion Hinata adores. Hinata listens in awe, enchanted by the dreams of a boy with his head in the stratosphere. Hinata longs to hold his hand and feel his lips against his own, to rest his head on Oikawa’s stomach and sleep with their legs tangled. Even now, an invisible barrier keeps Hinata from squishing Oikawa’s cheeks or dancing fingertips across his plump lips. 

Oikawa’s graduation is a huge affair, the others in his group of four laughing and standing proud as they receive handshakes and large claps on the back. Oikawa is as charming as a comet, and when the ceremony ends, Hinata pushes his way over to him, jumping up to wrap his arms around his middle. Oikawa huffs the air from his lungs and spins so that their faces meet, and in an instant the chatter fades away. Oikawa smiles, and breaks the barrier, presses their foreheads together as he holds Hinata steady.

“Hey,” he whispers, caramel eyes meeting Hinata’s.

“Hey,” Hinata responds, blush burning his cheeks and neck. The flutter only grows in his chest with Oikawa’s smile, the way it goes beyond charm to adoration.

And in an instant, the barrier is shattered, and Oikawa presses his lips to Hinata’s. Hinata chokes for a moment at the surprise of being given the one thing he’s wanted for so long, before he relaxes into Oikawa’s arms and kisses back. The sensation is everywhere, the feeling of Oikawa’s hands on his waist, the flutter of his heart, tingle of his skin. He has been slowly suffocating, and Oikawa is the oxygen swirling into his lungs at a mile per minute, dizziness overflowing his veins. 

It isn’t perfect; their teeth clink, and Hinata doesn't know what to do with his hands, but it might as well be, because it’s all Hinata wants and more. He smiles against Oikawa’s lips, lets his eyes open to see Oikawa follow in suit, giddy grin splayed across his face. It’s real, the kind that wrinkles the corners of his eyes in a way Hinata loves. This time, when Hinata’s heart flutters, he lets it, staring right into Oikawa’s eyes and knowing he is his.

That night Hinata curls up into Oikawa’s chest, hoodie swallowing his small frame whole. Oikawa tugs him closer, so that breathing and heartbeats are the only things heard throughout the room. 

“The director of the Mars Missions, Kiyoko, talked to me,” Oikawa says out of nowhere, fingertips dancing down Hinata’s spine. “She said I’m a top contender for mission III, and if it’d be up to her, I’d go on mission II.”

Hinata sits up, scrambling to look Oikawa in the eye. “Mars?” he repeats, incredulous. “Mission _two_?”

“Only if she pulls some strings. Otherwise, I have to wait another four years,” Oikawa says.

Hinata shakes his head in disbelief, and leans down to kiss Oikawa again, just because he can. He tastes like cherry lip balm and smells like dryer sheets, the scent enough to make Hinata want to pull him closer. And he does, because he can.

—

_286 days since liftoff_

_A pilot error caused the second Mars Mission to combust upon entry to Mars’s atmosphere. On September seventeenth, satellite images show debris—_

Hinata sits, kicking his feet against the counter. He needs to get up, change out of his day old clothes and shower, but his limbs feel to heavy to even stand. He doesn’t want to leave the counter top though, as if any moment Oikawa would bustle through the door with fresh pastries from the bakery, or sweating from his run.

Hinata wanted it, wanted it so bad, but he knew it was’t real. He knew that Oikawa wasn’t just outside fumbling with his keys, that he was in space, floating lifelessly forevermore. And it ached in the way that hurt worse than a slap in the face or any spear, because Hinata still felt like his heart was being pulled from his chest.

And Hinata doesn't know who to blame: The satellite, the pilot, the commander, the director of the missions, or himself, for thinking that the mission would work out like it did, that Oikawa would come home in one piece. The voice in his head whispers false hope, and Hinata crushes it, thinks, _ten thousand to one_ , and smashes the glass of water onto the ground.

_—_

_140 days since liftoff_

Space is lonely, or so Oikawa says.

“Not because lack of people,” he tells Hinata one day, sipping apple sauce from a bag, hanging upside down. “Because of how much space there is when your smiles aren’t taking it up. And the universe is pretty big without you by my side.”

Hinata wishes he was there with all his heart, on a ship headed for the red planet instead of working nightshift in a café that is all he’s ever known. He feels himself blush at Oikawa’s works, and smiles despite the ache in his chest. Oikawa straightens out and floats closer to screen, face falling as Hinata rubs his eyes.

“How far away are you?” Hinata asks. He already knows: four months, nineteen days, six hours. The feed is always delayed, screen cutting out for a few moments before jumping back. Oikawa is half way to the red planet, earth as close as Mars at this point.

Oikawa stumbles for a moment, pausing. Hinata doesn't care that he’s lost track of the days, but it hurts to think that he’s the only one counting the time spent apart. Oikawa sighs, pulling himself down so that he is level with the camera.

“Space may be big, Tooru,” Hinata says, voice cracking against his will. “But Earth is even smaller without you here.”

And it’s true: Hinata is so, so lonely. The café seems emptier at two am, the bed too cold without arms wrapped around his middle. Hinata doesn’t want to be selfish, but just thinking about the time spent apart makes his chest tighten enough to burst.

“I’ll get home soon,” Oikawa says, “Before you know it.”

—

_251 days since liftoff_

_No, no, no no no- It can’t be real,_ He thinks.

Hinata’s everything aches as he comes to his senses, the world fading from fuzz tofocus. Someone helps him to stand, but he doesn’t know who, only moves back towards the television where reporters frantically revise scripts, faces filled with distraught and sick glee. Hinata shakes his head again, attempting to stand on wobbly feet. His coworker catches him as he stumbles, but Hinata refuses to be sat down.

“I need to make a call,” Hinata chokes out, eyes glazed and fixated on the floorboards. He instinctively brings his hand to play with chain around his neck as he moves into the backroom, heaving deep breaths in desperate attempt to calm down. His fingers shake as he scrolls through the contact list, past the one saved with a sparkle and a heart. He presses on the one labeled _Oiks Boss_ , and presses call before he can decide not to.

The tone dials, rings, and ends.

Hinata calls again.

This time, the phone is picked up, and the director of the Mars Missions anger seethe through the phone.

“What the hell do you want?” the woman answers, voice deadly calm. “And why are you calling me on my personal line?”

HInata’s voice is shaking more than he expected when he answers. “Where is he, Kiyoko?”

Kiyoko sighs, drawing out a pause before she speaks again. They’ve met, briefly, as anyone who knows Oikawa knows Hinata. “There’ll be a statement made tomorrow, you can see then, I can pay for you to come here and witness it live.”

“No, I want to know _now,_ ” Hinata insists, swallowing the knot that tightens his throat. “What happened?”

Kiyoko mumbles something, and there is shuffling on the other end. The background noise subsides as Kiyoko presumably leaves to a quieter room to talk.

“At 6:15, eastern standard time, the Mars Mission II collided with our main observatory satellite. The satellite hit their main transmissions receiver, which is why we lost contact,” Kiyoko says. 

“But he’s okay, right?” Hinata chokes. “He’s alive?”

There is a pause before Kiyoko speaks, and when she does, her voice is small.

“Unless someone managed to seal off any of the effected areas before contact, the breach would tear the entire ship apart.”

_tear the entire ship apart-_

_lost contact-_

_pilot error-_

“No,” Hinata whimpers.

“No,” he says, this time stronger.

“Hinata, the chances that the crew is alive is ten thousand to one-”

Hinata drops the phone on the ground, moving to hold his head in his hands. Images of Oikawa smiling, floating in midair in the same station fill his mind, memories hitting him like knives in the chest. Thoughts of Oikawa laughing, covering his mouth with his hand when he does so, eyes scrunched shut, doubled over in laughter, thought of Oikawa’s hands on his waist, nose nuzzling into the crook of his neck as he presses soft kisses there, thoughts of waking up to Oikawa sitting at the edge of the bed, glasses on, bent over intricate physics calculations, and thought of Hinata tugging him back onto the bed, curling into his side.

_ten thousand to one-_

Hinata cries, tears streaming down his cheeks, breaths catching on his inhale as he desperately tries to slow his thoughts. A bullet is lodged in his ribcage, spilling out his love and despair with each throb. Hinata shuts his eyes, shakes his head, whispers, _can’t be real, can’t be real_ until the mantra becomes embedded on the underside of his tongue. The backroom is cold enough without shivers forcing their ways down his spine with each hitch of his breath, each shake of his lungs. 

_Space may be cold,_ Hinata thinks, _but this is colder._

—

_713 days until liftoff_

They’re sharing a pistachio muffin and watching _interstellar_ in bed when the phone call comes. Hinata reaches across the bed to grab Oikawa’s phone, Oikawa laughing as he practically climbs over him to pick it up and check the caller.

_Mars Mission Kiyoko._

Oikawa’s clears his voice before answering, voice peppy and aloof as always. It only takes a moment for his face to go blank, eyes leaping from their sockets. Oikawa looks over to Hinata, grin slowly beginning to expand across his face. Hinata bites his lip, mind already running wild with the possibilities of what the phone call could entail. Oikawa hangs up, lips pressed together in attempt not to let his smile spread too wide. Hinata doesn't even have to ask before Oikawa is nodding, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I made it,” he chokes out, wiping the tears from under his eyes. “I’m going to Mars.”

Hinata launches himself forward, wrapping his arms around Oikawa’s neck and pulling him closer to himself. Oikawa laughs, sniffling away the ugly tears that continue to flow, and Hinata can’t help but giggle in response, leaning back to look down at Oikawa. His face is flushes, eyes red from tears, but his smile is as wide as the observable universe, stretching from ear to ear. Hinata leans down and kisses the smile off of him, the action in vain as neither can stop the laughter bubbling up from their throats. Hinata is crying now, too, but neither cares as Hinata presses his wet cheek to the crook of Oikawa’s neck, laughing out of sheer glee.

Oikawa is saying, _I can’t believe it_ over and over, punctured by a mantra of _I love you, I love you_ as he holds him tighter and tighter, leaning him back onto the bed that that Oikawa can encase Hinata, pressing kiss after kiss onto his cheeks. Hinata is laughing more than ever, reaching up to wrap Oikawa and pull him down so that their lips meet, slow, smiles against smiles. Hinata’s heart flutters, stomach soars as Oikawa slips a hand under his sweatshirt, running a cool hand over Hinata’s rib cage.

And when skin touches skin touches sheets, Hinata’s mind is focused on mapping his own constellations on the moles speckled on Oikawa’s hipbones, is growing in the every gentle caress of his fingertips against his cheek. Oikawa eyes soften as he watches Hinata writhe under his touch, and in the moment, Hinata thinks that the universe can’t possibly be bigger than what they have now.

—

_86 days until liftoff_

Oikawa is busy when he’s not at home. Preparing, preparing, preparing, through vigorous training with his crew. Hinata stopped taking the nightshift since they moved together in a year ago, and now, nights are spent eating supperwhile curled up together, Hinata recounting the people he saw, Oikawa spilling the excitement and anxiety that had already began to build.

Hinata tries not to think about it as the date inches closer and closer, becomes more and more real with each passing week. The mission is two years, two years apart, two years floating 54.6 million kilometres away, towards a dusty red planet beyond Hinata’s grasp. It hurts to think about, to conceptualize the realness of Oikawa’s absence in a few months time. 

Oikawa doesn't mention it, either. When they talk of space, they ignore what will be left between them, empty and void of the closeness they were accustom to. Hinata hates the part of him wishing Oikawa would stay behind with him, wishing he would take a mission closer to home. Hinata pushes the thoughts down, washes them down with water and mouthwash as he and Oikawa brush their teeth before bed, leaning on each other for support. 

—

_14 hours until liftoff_

The kisses Hinata leaves on Oikawa and soft and slow, practiced and smooth along the expanse of his throat. They’ll bruise, for sure, but Hinata isn’t think about the marks as much as the small hitches in Oikawa's breath when he breathes. 

Hinata is forced to think about it now, when Oikawa whispers _I want to memorize you before I go_ into his ear, sending shivers down Hinata’s spine. Mars is so far, and Hinata wants to feel as close to Oikawa’s skin as possible before they leave for different worlds. Oikawa mumbles _I love you_ , and Hinata responds with an echo of the worlds and unbreaking eye contact as he slips a hand into the divot of his hip, trailing his fingertips lower.

And Hinata is enchanted, even still, with the way Oikawa moves, the half lidded eyes and arched back as he moans. His brown hair is a mess, sticking up from where Hinata had tugged on it earlier. Oikawa sits up, wrapping his arms under Hinata’s and slipping them around his chest, pressing the boy as close to his torso as possible as he moves so that his back is pressed against the headboard, and lips pressed against Hinata’s neck.

“Don’t leave me,” Hinata whispers, so quiet he thinks Oikawa couldn't hear it.

“I’ll come back,” Oikawa responds. “I promise.”

The morning is blur, and Hinata can only see Oikawa so far until they’re forced to part. Oikawa pulls Hinata closer, one last time, leaning down to kiss him. Hinata lingers a moment longer in Oikawa’s arms, savouring the warmth before he pulls away, lips still tingling from their last kiss for two years time.

—

_387 days since liftoff_

Hinata is working the nightshift when his phone rings.

The dial tone is still the same as what Oikawa had set it as before he left, and Hinata has to swallow the bile threatening to rise from his throat as he answers, not bothering the check to see who called.

“Did I wake you?” Kiyoko asks before HInata can respond.

Hinata freezes, nearly dropping the muffin in his hand. He scrambles to stand, already pacing, mind racing. He hasn’t spoken to the director of the mars missions since he had worn all black and stood in a cemetery with hundreds of people and cameras he didn’t know. Hinata clutches onto the counter top in an attempt to steady himself from shaking as he answers.

“Why are you calling?” he asks, voice as small as he feels.

“I don’t want to tell you over the phone,” she responds. “I know you were the closest person to Oikawa, and I have something I want you to see. I’ve sent you plane tickets for later this morning, and a hope you’ll attend.”

Hinata can’t believe what he hears, but mumbles out something that can pass as _thank you_ before Kiyoko bids him farewell and hangs up the phone.

Hinata stays still for a moment more, listening to the ringing of silence in the empty café. It only takes a second for him to heave a shaky breath in, tears welling at the brim of his eyes. 

_Ten thousand to one,_ he thinks.

For the first time since that day, Hinata lets the hope swelling inside him grow.

—

_170 days since liftoff_

“Do you ever think about moving on?” Oikawa asks one day, voice hesitant and small.

Hinata pauses, shaking his head as he pulls his laptop closer. The screen is the only thing illuminating his face as he watched Oikawa, form the other side of the screen and stratosphere, spin a volleyball in his hands.

“Tooru,” Hinata says, voice cracking slightly. “Why would I ever leave you?”

Oikawa rubs his eyes, letting the ball hover midair. He swallows, the sound thick enough for Hinata to hear through his earbuds. Oikawa’s voice is still quiet when he speaks again, but this time, he doesn't look Hinata in the eye.

“Am I not bringing you down?” he asks, turning to reach up for the ball as it floats away. He pulls it into his lap, cradling it close to his chest. 

“I will wait for you,” Hinata responds, voice clear, loud, solid for being as scared as he is. “However long it takes, Tooru, because I love you.”

Oikawa looks back up, eyes meeting the camera. His eyes widen, and a small smile forms on his lips. “I love you too, Shouyou, and I promise, I’ll come back.”

—

_387 days since liftoff_

Hinata is ushered off the plane by a man in a suit, with a sign that reads his name in big, printed letters. Hinata wishes the flurry of anxiety that builds in his stomach would fade, but it only grows as he slings his bag over his shoulder and follows the man towards a black car. Hinata tries not to puke as he slips into the empty backseat, running his hands up and down his thighs in attempt to calm his racing heart. 

The car brings him to a large building with sleek glass windows. The headquarters of NASA are as advanced as any space agency should be, and Hinata is handed a badge as he is pulled along through the starkly lit hallways, into a conference room where a woman stands, back facing him. 

The door shuts behind Hinata without him knowing, and he jumps, letting out a squeak that alerts Kiyoko he is there. She turns, striding towards Hinata and handing him a file, face unreadable as she motions for him to sit.

“Do you remember,” she starts, eye contact unwavering through her glasses as she speaks. “What the odds of survival were when you called me?”

“Ten thousand to one,” Hinata responds without thinking. The words have become a mantra, embedded into speech as if they were a truth, as if the slightest possibility could bring Oikawa back.

Kiyoko’s words are enough to also send him into another round of panic, and Hinata takes the cup of water waiting on the table to hold as Kiyoko speaks again, not trusting his own thoughts or words.

“The Mars Mission II is still active,” Kiyoko says, breaking the silence of the room. “We aren’t sure how, but the main ship was spotted by our satellites, heading on course to earth.”

And Hinata’s world crashes onto his shoulder, the bubble of hope in his stomach explodes, shining light across his face. He feels his eyes widen as he leans forwards, smiling in disbelief as Kiyoko opens her copy of the file and begins to explain.

“The satellite hit our communications, and we haven't been able to see without that satellite, which explains why this news comes so late. This also means we have zero contact with the crew,” she tells him. “The planets are in bad alignment, so it maybe take another six months for them to reach us at their current speed.”

“But they’re alive?” Hinata asks, nearly standing. “Tooru, he’s alive, right?”

“There’s nothing I can guarantee,” Kiyoko says. “But someone has to be on that ship."

Hinata leaps forward, hugging Kiyoko with all of his might. She stiffens for a moment before recuperating with a laugh, taking her glasses off to wipe her eyes. They’re both in tears, eyes red and faces blotchy despite themselves.

“They’re coming home,” Hinata says, smile stuck to his face.

“They’re coming home,” Kiyoko echoed, closing the file and turning to face the window again.

—

_572 days since liftoff_

Hinata waits, tucked into the corner of the mission command room. With the little communications they have, there’s practically nothing they can do from the ground as the Mars Mission II approaches. Hinata bites his nails as people hustle past, bent over computers or pressing their headsets tighter to their ears. On the edge of his seat, he watches the scene unfold, gripping onto the railing, trying desperately not to scream with anticipation as the ship’s descent is announced.

Everyone holds their breaths as the screens capture blurry footage of the spacecraft pushing it’s way through that air, moving closer and closer towards the ground.

And it lands, parachute deployed, slowing the race down towards a crash. The entire control room yells, headsets and papers thrown into the air as people stand, embracing their neighbours and shaking hands. Kiyoko looks up to Hinata from the central command, sending him a smile as a man claps her on the shoulder, pulling her into a hug. Hinata watches only for a moment before he pushes back through the crowds, slipping towards the exit. He almost knocks over a woman balancing a stack of binders, and half has the heart to yell sorry as he takes off into the hallway, bolting through the clusters of celebrating workers towards the main gate.

It’s on the opposite side of the building, and takes Hinata nearly ten minutes at full sprint to reach the hallway, and when he does, it’s all he can do to hunch over and catch his breath. He steadies his breathing until his heart isn’t sounding in his ears, and he can hear the distant sound of voices from the other end of that hall.

“You need to speak to the medics, sir-” a man says, his voice almost pleading.

The voice that responds is stubborn, melodic, and one Hinata knows all too well, even after two years without having heard it.

“That can wait, I just need to see him, please,” it says, and Hinata practically shoots up, yells, _Tooru_ at the top of his lungs, not caring for the other works milling along the hall.

Oikawa whips his head around at the sound of Hinata’s voice. The moment their eyes meet, he stumbles, running to meet Hinata halfway in the hall. The man beside him shouts something, but neither listen as Hinata jumps into Oikawa’s arms, grabbing his face between his hands and pressing their lips together as if it was the fist time.

Oikawa fumbles at the addition of Hinata’s weight, but keeps stead as he moves to wrap his arms around Hinata’s torso, lips still moving against his, tears welling in his eyes and spilling onto Hinata’s cheeks.

“I love you,” Hinata mumbles against Oikawa’s lips, pulling him closer than they already are. “I didn’t think you’d come back.”

Oikawa grins, blinking the tears from his eyes. “I promised, didn’t I?”

Hinata laughs out of spite of the whole situation, tugging Oikawa back down to his height so that their lips meet again. Neither can stop from smiling into the kiss, breaking out into giggles because, _god_ , has he missed this. Hinata takes a moment to admire Oikawa’s face, and how he hasn’t changed a bit, Oikawa doing the same.

“Marry me,” Oikawa whispers, staring down into Hinata’s eyes, holding the smaller in his embrace. “Marry me, Shouyou.”

Hinata’s throat tightens, and he nods, because not even Mars could stop him from loving the boy from space, with glasses and questionable music taste, and constellations of moles on his torso. Hinata presses another kiss to Oikawa’s lips before the taller pulls him into a hug, rocking side to side.

_Ten thousand to one,_ Hinata thinks, _And not even mars could keep us apart._

* * *

_Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space._

_-interstellar_

 

**Author's Note:**

> its midnight hhhhhhnnngggg i hope u enjoyed kudos and comments mean the world as always~


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